


He's A Thief in the Night

by iwasnthere622



Series: Wolves vs Berserkers [16]
Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Chloroform, Fighting, Gangs, Gen, Post-Apocalypse, Theft, break in
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 12:37:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10899513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasnthere622/pseuds/iwasnthere622
Summary: Cloud sidled along the building, sticking to the shadows, straining his hearing as he crept through Berserker territory. He was overcome with a wave of deja vu as he moved along, retracing footsteps from his mission months ago now, determined to get it right this time.





	He's A Thief in the Night

Cloud sidled along the building, sticking to the shadows, straining his hearing as he crept through Berserker territory. He was overcome with a wave of deja vu as he moved along, retracing footsteps from his mission months ago now, determined to get it right this time.

He paused to listen as a car drove past, ducking and waiting, counting his breaths, glancing around and realizing the abandoned church was just up ahead, smiling at the memory of taking cover in there the night he'd met Leon, when they'd first kissed.

A minute of silence after the car disappeared, he determined it safe to keep moving, going slow and cautious. They were all counting on him this time -- Barret and Tifa were sure that something big was going on, and Zex and Rox were picking up more and more volumn of chatter lately, from everywhere. 

The body last week just cemented that the Berserkers were getting bolder, planning something, and they needed to take this chance while they still had it.

Leon was out of town -- some mission he wouldn't talk about -- but he'd let enough slip that Cloud knew he wouldn't be around at all tonight. 

Xigbar, the guy who ran their chop shop, went with him, and Reno, Rude, and the new girl -- they didn't have her name, yet -- were at Elena's (for real this time, Olette had personally gone to check).

The two who hit Penn's and the guy with only one eye were busy downtown with Fang, Kairi, and Wakka thanks to a fake message that Barret had sent out for them to decode on purpose.

Yuffie and two dudes -- one of which was a hold-over from the regime that Reno cut short years ago -- were at the edge of town playing underground and being watched by Zack.

By that count, it left the medic and possibly two others in the headquarters tonight, but it was as empty as it was going to get. They had to take this chance!

Cloud crept closer, movements slowing as he checked for trip wires and boobytraps, Kairi's warnings running through his head.

He held his breath as he approached the Berserker headquarters, the garage shut up, windows blackened out. He moved to the building's side, gloved fingers carefully reaching up to a window ledge. First floor windows were bound to be rigged, but then again, he didn't plan on getting in through one. Satisfied there weren't any triggers on the ledge itself, he carefully braced both hands to the frame and boosted himself up, toes of his boots balancing on the ledge as he hugged the building. 

Moving as fast as he dared, he reached up to the second story, checking this ledge as well before gripping tight. He lifted one leg up, balancing on the other and planting it against the bottom floor window frame. Securing his grip, he lifted the other foot as well, using his upperbody strengh to hold himself up, walking up the building side by using the frame as his hand and foot holds until he was standing on top of the bottom floor window's frame.

Cloud breathed out slowly, relaxing his arms and centering his balance better before carefully reaching into his pouch strapped to his bicep and removing his jammer pick, prying the upper floor window open carefully, grateful when it slid upward soundlessly in its tracks.

He paused, listening intently, but when no one came running he put his tools away and, gripping the ledge more securely, boosted himself up again.

For two terrifying seconds he was dangling in the air and then he was rolling inside, still and silent.

The room was thankfully empty -- somebody's bedroom, from the look of it -- and Cloud eased the window shut behind him. If he had to leave in a hurry, he wouldn't head for here to jump out a second story window anyway, so there was no point in leaving it open for someone to potentially find and get suspicious over.

It was too risky to use a flashlight, so he moved further into the darkened room and waited the precious seconds for his eyes to adjust. Creeping to the door, he pressed against it, but he couldn't hear anthing, holding his breath and turning the handle slowly, easing it open. He peaked down the hallway, but it was dark. He slipped out of the room, softly shutting the door behind him.

If Zex and Rox's info was right, Reno's room was on the ground floor at the back, and that's where the main safe would be. Hopefully, some plans would also be laid out there to give them a better idea of what the hell was going on, what were they planning...?

Moving silently, he crept down the hallway, body tensed and heart racing. He crouched low to the ground when he reached the stairs, easing his upper body over the edge to peer down them, waiting and listening.

Quiet.

Staying crouched, he eased down the stairs, but it remained silent and dark, with no one coming out or finding him. Once on the ground floor, he moved a bit faster -- he'd gotten caught at this point last time, though he'd come in on the ground flood last time, too, through the backdoor that was almost definitely rigged now since he'd gotten in there.

He made it to the office door, taking out his lockpick set and getting to work, unsurprised Reno left it locked when he was out.

With a soft snick two minutes later, the door swung open. Cloud stood and replaced his tools into his pouch, just entering the room when another down the hall opened. Heart pounding, he slid the rest of the way into the room and eased the door nearly closed. It was too risky to close it all the way, as the noise of the click might give him away. He moved to the side of the door, hiding in the shadows of the nearby bookcase, and held his breath.

\--

Ven yawned as he left his room, intending on getting some food and then some more sleep, since he'd been awake the better part of two days cracking the latest Wolf code, when he paused. He could have sworn he just saw Reno's office door closing, but that wasn't possible because the Boss was at his girlfriend's now.

Frowning, he moved down the hall to the room, eyes narrowing at the sight of the slightly cracked door. Now that definitely wasn't right... Nearly everyone was out -- he was pretty sure Aqua and Vexen were the only other ones in the building -- and he didn't think either would break into Reno's while he was out.

He pushed on the door, it easily sliding open, and peered into the darkness. Nothing looked out of place...

\--

Cloud internally swore at the sound of approaching footsteps, hurriedly pulling out the cloth Kairi had given him "for emergencies" just like this one, holding his breath and pressing further into the shadows, watching the door open and ambient light from the hall spill in, framing a blonde kid in the doorway.

Roxas?

Not giving himself a chance to second guess or hesitate, as soon as the guy stepped into the room Cloud jumped, knocking him back into the opposite wall and quickly slapping the cloth over his nose and mouth, muffling his startled cry.

Ven clawed at the intruder, punching and dragging his nails, managing to knock his cap off and reveal blonde hair before he felt his body going heavy, trying to fight harder but his limbs not listening.

Cloud pressed firmly, trapping the guy's legs and trying his best to ignore his hits, watching the struggle start to leave him, staring into eyes that were disturbingly familiar as they dimmed and fluttered closed.

Cloud kept the cloth in place as the kid slid to the ground, crouching with him. Only when he was sure he was passed out did he move away, closing the door quickly but quietly, and pocketing the cloth. Kairi said he could use it multiple times if he had too, but it'd be less effective with each use as the person inhaled the chemicals on it.

Moving fast, knowing he only had twenty minutes at the most before the guy woke up, Cloud scooped up his cap and got to work, making a mental note to ask Roxas about having a twin but otherwise ignoring the prone body on the floor.

He swept the desk first, skimming papers, looking through drawers. He found a few interesting mentions to bunkers in the tunnels that he made sure to memorize to report back later, abadoning the paperwork as useless and turning to the wall safe.

The combination wasn't written down anywhere, but fortunately it also wasn't the same model that he and Zack had cracked at the hotel. This was a much newer model, which meant the metal itself was more durable and it had anti-theft measurements including incinerating whatever was inside if the wrong combination was entered.

But it also meant that Cloud had cracked three others just like this one in the last year. His fingers moved confidently, listening to the tumblers and imaging this model, able to get the first half of the combination in five minutes. In another five, he was swinging the heavy door open and grinning. He pulled out his loot bag from his pocket and swept up the cash, the few gems, skimming the papers before colleting those, too. These had alias information and some storage locations, as well as their supplier's information, and Cloud knew Tifa would do a happy dance once she got her hands on this.

He closed the safe and spun the lock into place, glancing at the door and at the body before quickly moving about the rest of the room, figuring he had another five minutes before he had to get out, looking for anything he could have missed.

He moved to the door, frowning at the body. Jesus, he looked exactly like Rox.

He opened the door carefully and looked out, making sure it was clear, before crouching and picking up the guy under his arms, dragging his body out of the office and dropping him sprawled in the hall, to hopefully buy himself some time in case his body was discovered -- they wouldn't think anyone was in Reno's office if Cloud locked it behind himself, so they wouldn't know until the guy woke up.

He relocked the office and finished situating the guy, just about to stand and leave when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, standing just as a woman appeared. He started to walk away, fighting the urge to run, hoping she'd think he was one of their members.

\--

Aqua frowned at the guy in the hallway, first thinking it was Ven but he was too tall, walking closer and seeing Ven collapsed on the ground.

"Ven!" she yelled, rushing forward, checking that he was breathing and feeling relief to feel his warm breath on her palm, looking up at the guy. "Hey! Stop!" she yelled, running after him, but he beat her to the front door and ran out of it.

\--

Cloud sped up as soon as she yelled -- Ven? -- full out running at her further shouts and yanking the main door open, running out into the night and turning down a darkened alley.

\--

Aqua cursed, watching him disappear into the night, not willing to give chase with something wrong with Ven. She locked up and hurried back to him, trying to wake him to no avail.

"It's okay, Ven, stay with me," she said, picking him up carefully and hurrying to Vexen's lab, kicking the door in. "Help him," she ordered.

"What happened?" Vexen demanded, annoyed at being interrupted but moving to begin his examination -- alive for the moment, that was good.

"I don't know, someone was here, they did something," Aqua said, frustrated.

"Someone broke in?" Vexen asked, eyebrows raised as he searched for injuries and found none, moving to get his strong smelling salts. He wasn't sure why Ven was unconscious, but these should rouse him.

Aqua just growled, annoyed and worried, watching Vexen wave something in Ven's face and then the blonde was coughing and sitting up on the table.

"Ven! What happened?" Aqua demanded, Vexen shoving her back so he could check Ven's pupil's, his breathing.

"A-Aqua? What-- there's an intruder!" Ven gasped, it rushing back to him.

"I know, I saw him--"

"You got him?" Ven demanded.

"No, I couldn't leave you, what did he do to you?" Aqua demanded.

"He -- that's not -- he was in Reno's office!" Ven said, coughing.

Aqua's eyes widened, cursing herself for not catching him when she had a chance.

"Call Reno," Vexen said grimly, handing Ven a cup of water. "This'll be a long night for all of us, now."

\--

Cloud ran, but when it became clear that no one was following him, he slowed his pace -- running would only draw attention here. He caught his breath, fear leaving him the further away he got, filled with pride in himself for a successful mission, pockets heavy with his loot. 

He clung to the shadows, crossing the border and heaving a sigh of relief, still not quite safe but getting there, making his way back to Wolf headquarters. The adrenaline was crashing and leaving him a bit shaky, so he was glad when the familair building finally came into view.

He slipped inside, past the empty garage and rooms to the meeting room at the back.

Tifa pushed to her feet as soon as she saw him, Barret pausing in his pacing. "Cloud!" Tifa said, rushing to hug him, checking him for injuries, but he seemed fine, was smiling. 

"Success?" Barret asked.

Cloud nodded, grinning as Barret whooped and swept him up into a hug of his own. "Best damn thief, Zack called it!" Barret chuckled, setting Cloud down.

Cloud flushed, pleased with the praise, emptying his pockets and beginning his report of the night's events.


End file.
